‘The Death of Stalin’: New Trailer Highlights One of 2018’s Funniest Films

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IFC Films has released a new The Death of Stalin trailer. Directed by Armando Ianucci (Veep), the follows the chaos and jockeying for power that took place after the death of the authoritative leader in 1953.

I caught the film at TIFF last year and it’s painfully hilarious, and kind of perfect for our times when political leaders, rather than showing any moral compass whatsoever, are simply vying for more power despite overwhelming incompetence. It’s depressingly timely, but the sadness of its relevancy is drowned out by how funny it is. You definitely get a sense of that in this trailer (especially from Rupert Friend, who’s a scene stealer as Stalin’s idiot son) despite the removal of all the swearing since it’s a green-band trailer.

Check out the new The Death of Stalin trailer below. The film opens March 9th and also stars Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffrey Tambor, Michael Palin, Paddy Considine, Andrea Riseborough, and Jason Isaacs.

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Here’s the official synopsis for The Death of Stalin:

The one-liners fly as fast as political fortunes fall in this uproarious, wickedly irreverent satire from Armando Iannucci (Veep, In the Loop). Moscow, 1953: when tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin drops dead, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to be the next Soviet leader. Among the contenders are the dweeby Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor), the wily Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi), and the sadistic secret police chief Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale). But as they bumble, brawl, and backstab their way to the top, just who is running the government? Combining palace intrigue with rapid-fire farce, this audacious comedy is a bitingly funny takedown of bureaucratic dysfunction performed to the hilt by a sparkling ensemble cast.